Tertiary Academy forges ahead in Queenstown
Wakatipu High School students considering a career in trades are getting hands-on experience through a SIT | Te Pūkenga Tertiary Academy programme.
The partnership started in 2021 when the rapidly growing high school had limited space to develop their Trades Skills programme and approached SIT to help with a solution.
SIT developed a workshop facility in Glenda Drive, Frankton’s industrial area, where a range of taster programmes are offered to year 11, 12 and 13 students, including building and construction, engineering, and automotive.
The collaboration has flourished and grown from four cohorts in the first year, to more than 65 students in five cohorts this year. The programme runs five days per week with each student attending seven sessions each fortnight.
Students are placed across Levels 1, 2, and 3 and gain credits towards NCEA qualifications.
Academy Tutors Geoff Martin and Jacques Kemp instruct each level in projects, which aim to engage and challenge the students while they learn valuable knowledge and skills which will serve them if they go onto a trades career.
WHS Careers Advisor, Linda Richards, said the emphasis on practical learning and applying the knowledge to real-world situations allows students start developing the trade skills they’ll need to succeed in their chosen field. They can use the experience from day one when they enter the workforce.
Current projects are predator traps, a flat-pack mai mai, and dog kennels.
"The projects are great examples of how the Trades Skills programme encourages students to think creatively and use their skills to meet local needs," Richards says.
The student-built dog kennels will be able to be purchased directly from the workshop at the completion of the programme.
WHS Principal Oded Nathan visited the academy recently to see the students in action.
"It’s an opportunity for the students to be off-site and hands on which helps support their engagement," he says.
Nathan said what makes the academy work so well is how it's run to fit in with the school’s ten-day timetable.
The students are transported by bus to the Glenda Drive premises for their 60 to 90-minute classes, then they are returned to school, keeping to their schedule.
By keeping to the school's timetable, the students can continue with their learning in their other classes while they explore a trades-based pathway.
"As they begin to prepare for life beyond high school, we want to provide students with opportunities for exploration, exposure and experience to help guide them in their career choices."
Sometimes parents and students don’t want to take that risk associated with missing their other classes, while they check out career options, Nathan says.
"That’s really the model that’s been the game changer. It’s enabled students to explore a vocational pathway and keep the university pathway open before they have to make that decision."
He also commented on the quality relationships the tutors have with the students, and the quality of work being produced.
SIT Queenstown Campus Head of Faculty, Hamish Small, said the collaborative focus from both WHS and SIT staff had accomplished a programme which has now exceeded expectations for all stakeholders involved.
"Structure wise, this is believed to be the first programme of its kind where it’s specifically tailored to the school’s needs and fits in with their standard timetable," Small says.
"It clearly shows what can be achieved when the learner is the focus."
